April 17, 2013. Good news from Reuters (emphasis is ours): A group of Democratic... Read More »
Is the DHS’ Workplace Enforcement too Lenient?
01 Nov 2010 / Deportation, Employer Sanctions, Employment Authorization, Immigration Enforcement, NewsThe Orlando Sentinel reported today that critics in the federal government have raised concerns that although the President has heightened immigration enforcement efforts on businesses that are suspected of hiring undocumented immigrants, and despite the fact that the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) has already conducted more workplace audits of the I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) forms, critics feel that the government’s enforcement has been has been too lenient [...]
USCIS Announces Update to E-Verify System
17 Jun 2010 / Announcements, Employer Sanctions, Immigration EnforcementThe U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced recently that it has redesigned the E-Verify system to make it easier for employers to verify whether or not individuals are authorized to work in the United States. E-Verify is a free, internet based based system, that allows participating employers to verify the employment eligibility of their employees. USCIS officials estimated that over 208,000 employers are registered users of E-Verify, and, has [...]
A Vermont Dairy Farmer Shares His Experience After an Audit of His Hiring Records
15 Mar 2010 / Employer Sanctions, Employment Authorization, Immigration Enforcement, Immigration FraudThe New York Times reported recently that the hiring records of the Gervais Family Farms in Bakersfield, Vermont were inspected as part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (USICE’s) enforcement efforts to inspect the employment records of 1,000 businesses across the United States. The businesses that were inspected were either known or suspected to have hired undocumented immigrants. The USICE imposes [...]
USICE Inspecting the Hiring Records of 180 Businesses
04 Mar 2010 / Announcements, Employer Sanctions, Immigration EnforcementThe U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) reported earlier this week that it has just issued about 180 Notices of Inspection (NOI’s) to businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. The NOI’s informed the affected business owners that they have three (3) days to prepare for the USICE to inspect their hiring records to determine whether or not they have hired unauthorized [...]
E-Verify System Still has Bugs
01 Mar 2010 / Employer Sanctions, Employment Authorization, Immigration Enforcement, Immigration Fraud, Legislative WatchThe Orlando Sentinel reported recently that the system both Congress and the President direct employers to use called E-Verify to combat the hiring of illegal immigrants, is actually failing to identify over half of the unauthorized workers it checks, a research company named Westat has found. The research company found that E-Verify failed to detect so many illegal workers mainly because the system [...]
Poultry Plant Assessed Heavy Fine for Immigration Violations
15 Feb 2010 / Announcements, Employer Sanctions, Immigration EnforcementThe U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) reported this past weekend that Koch Foods of Cincinnati LLC, a poultry processing plant was assessed and paid over $536,000 in fines for violations of the U.S. immigration laws concerning the hiring of undocumented immigrants. The USICE investigated the company based on an anonymous tip received alleging that company was employing over 100 undocumented workers at their poultry [...]
USCIS Using More Resources to Combat Immigration Fraud
11 Feb 2010 / Announcements, Employer Sanctions, H1-B Visas, Immigration Enforcement, Immigration Fraud, L-1 visasThe Orlando Sentinel reported today that the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has increased its resources and reorganized anti fraud operations to include an Office of Fraud Detection and National Security in light of the passage of the H-1B Visa Reform Act of 2004, to identify and investigate false claims in connection with green card applications based on marriage, H-1B and L-1 work visas, [...]
Federal Government Agrees Not to Prosecute Owners of Poultry Packing Plant
06 Jan 2010 / Announcements, Employer Sanctions, Immigration EnforcementThe U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) reported recently that the U.S. Attorney’s Office have reached a non-prosecution agreement with Pilgrim’s Pride, a poultry packing plant in connection with the hiring and employment of undocumented immigrants. Based on the terms and conditions of the agreement, the company will pay the government $4.5 million and devise an immigration compliance program under the recommendation of USICE officials to ensure that [...]
USICE Seeks over $ 40,000 in Fines From Manufacturer
09 Dec 2009 / Announcements, Employer Sanctions, Immigration EnforcementThe Orlando Sentinel reported today that the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) fined a manufacturer from Detroit, MI accused of failing to properly complete approximately 100 employment eligibility forms for its workers. The USICE conducted an audit back in March of this year and discovered various discrepancies. As a result, USICE investigators charged the manufacturer with violations including failing to keep on file, employee attestations stating that they [...]
USCIS Extends Certain Immigration Benefits Until September 2012
24 Nov 2009 / Announcements, EB-5 Visa, Employer Sanctions, Green Cards, Immigration Reform, J-1 visas, Legislative Watch, Religious WorkersThe U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported today that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on October 28, 2009, has extended the E-Verify, the Immigrant Investor (EB-5 Pilot Program), the Special Immigrant visa category for non-minister religious workers, and, the date by which J-1 nonimmigrant exchange visitors must obtain J-1 status to qualify for [...]
